Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson selling NFL team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, amid allegations of workplace misconduct, announced Sunday night in a letter on the team website that he plans to put the NFL team he founded up for sale after the 2017 season.

The letter came after Sports Illustrated published a story saying the Panthers settled with at least four former employees regarding inappropriate workplace behavior by Richardson.

“I believe that it is time to turn the franchise over to new ownership,” Richardson wrote. “Therefore, I will put the team up for sale at the conclusion of this NFL season. We will not begin the sale process, nor will we entertain any inquiries, until the very last game is played.”

The SI article detailed accusations made against Richardson that include sexual harassment of multiple women and the use of a racial slur toward a scout who has since left the team.

The Panthers and team owner Jerry Richardson settled claims against him that include sexual harassment of multiple women and the use of a racial slur toward a team scout, according to a report.

The NFL is now handling the investigation into the allegations of workplace misconduct by Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, a team spokesperson and the league confirmed Sunday.

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The NFL on Sunday announced that it was taking over the investigation into the allegations that the Panthers announced they were conducting on Friday.

Richardson, 81, allegedly made verbal comments about women’s appearances, inappropriately touched female employees and made advances to women that included asking whether he could shave their legs and for them to give him foot rubs.

Along with the allegation of using a racial slur that led to a settlement with the scout, SI notes comments made by Richardson about black players’ appearances and his threat to discipline players who addressed social issues.

According to SI, Richardson and the Panthers reached confidential settlements with complainants that included nondisclosure and non-disparagement clauses. The SI report describes the settlements’ value as “significant.”

Richardson was awarded the franchise in October 1993. The Panthers played their first season in 1995. Richardson previously had a plan in place that called for the team to be sold within two years of his death. Richardson reached a deal with Charlotte officials in 2013, when the city agreed to pay $87.5 million in upgrades to Bank of America Stadium that would keep the Panthers there through June 2019.

Bruton Smith, the owner of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns Charlotte Motor Speedway and other tracks on the NASCAR circuit, said last year that he would be interested in purchasing the team. Forbes placed the value of the Panthers at $2.3 billion in September. Richardson and investors paid $206 million for the team in ’93.

Charlotte-based sports marketing executive Max Muhleman, who helped Richardson bring the team to the Carolinas through the sale of personal seat licenses (PSLs) that financed the stadium, was sad to hear the news that the team was being sold.

“If that is his wish, he will leave one of sport’s most remarkable legacies for, hopefully, generations of Carolinas to come,” Muhleman told ESPN.com.

The Panthers are 10-4 after Sunday’s 31-24 win over Green Bay and tied with New Orleans atop the NFC South. They are only two years removed from a 15-1 2015 regular season in which they lost Super Bowl 50 to Denver 24-10.

Carolina also reached the Super Bowl following the 2003 season, losing to New England.

Richardson promised when he purchased the team to bring the Carolinas a Super Bowl victory. He reiterated that in the letter.

“I hope everyone in this organization, both on and off the field, will be firmly focused on just one mission: to play and win the Super Bowl,” Richardson wrote. “While I will no longer be the team owner, I will always be the Panthers’ Number One fan.”